The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-12-24

of rocks. The beast clearly meant mischief, and had no notion of re- treating from it's lair under the lodges.
 Robbins leveled his Winchester, and with hands that shook with excite ment, took as good aim as le could. The hammer clicked as he pulled the trigger, but there was no report!
 He threw the lever forward quickly and looked to see what was the mat ter. The barrel was empty! There was not cartridge in the magazine 1!
 He had, without being aware of it, fired all the cartridges there were in the gun at the panther as it ran from the pine tree and his cartridge belt lay, at that moment, in the shack.l In his haste and excitement he had been grossly and stupidly careless.
 For an instant he stood still, star ing at the beast, which, still crouch ing there, lashed its side, and threat ened him with ferocious snarls and a frightful display of it's bloody mouth and icked-looking fangs!
 He was about to risk a retreat, backward, for he was afraid to turn hls face from the brute, when he heard Bennett calling to him, from the top of the bluff above. Looking up, he could gee his friends head, about hundred feet above him.
 "That you down there, Walt?" Bennett called out, stepping forward on boulder to get better view of the dark gorge beneath. "It's an awful ugly hole down there, and there may be whole nest of partners in itl Seen anything of him yet?"
 "Pm seeing him now 1" replied Rob- bins, as coolly as he could. "He's right here under the ledge in front of me, and haven't cartridge in my gunw
 "Great Scott? what'-shouted Ben- nett, but did not finish his sentence, for as he spoke, the boulder began to roll, and he lost his footing and slid down the steep side of the ravine- the stone rolling in advance of him, crashing among the brush and sending the small stones flying in every di- rection!
 At the sound of their voices, the panther had ceased it's snarling, and stood for moment in an attitude of evident alarm. It had probably never before heard the sound of the human voice. Then as the stone came tear ing down, it leaped out from it's cov- ert, ran few yards, then stood arch ing it's back and glaring wildly from side to side.
 Robbins was now taking advantage of the uproar to back slowly away, when Bennett brought up against the butt of little pine, at the top of the ledge of red rocks.
 "Shoot him !" cried Robbins. "He's right down there under you! not ten feet below youp
 Bonnet had clung to his gun; he leaned forward and looked down, then, catching sight of the animal, whipped his piece around and fired on the instant.
 With terrible roar the panther made several bounds up the side of the bluff. Then, maddened by it's wound, it whirled about and dashed straight for Robbins who was back ing away. With three or four pro- digious leaps, it came up with him, and he clubbing his gun met it with a blow, but was knocked backward by the weight and momentum of the brute. Both came to the ground. Robbins sprawled on his back, while the panther struck beyond and rolled over and over down the bed of the ra- vinel There it lay kicking for some time, but at length expired.
 Robbins gathered himself up, some- what bruised and terribly frightened, but thankful enough, when he dis covered that the beast was done for, to have escaped SO we'll
 Bennett had been almost equally alarmed but when he saw that the animal was disabled, he scrambled down from the ledge, and ran to as- certain the extent of his companions injuries.
 "Tell you what, old manw he ex- claimed. "Let's leave these brutes alone, in future. 1 don't want to monkey with 'em any morel"
 Robbins heartily agreed to the proposition.
 They examined the dead animal and found that Bennett's ball had struck it between the shoulders and came out at the breast-a shot that would in- stantly have killed almost any other creature. It was a full-sized male panther.- Youths CosapGasoa,